Supreme Court Rules Against Bond Hearings for Certain Immigrants
The Supreme Court decided this Tuesday that immigrants fearing persecution in their home countries can be indefinitely detained if they were previously deported and re-entered the United States without authorization. The partisan 6-3 decision held that deported immigrants who re-entered have no right to a hearing regarding their release while the government considers their claims. In the words of Justice Samuel Alito, “those aliens are not entitled to a bond hearing.”
The case involved deportees who had re-entered the United States. An immigration officer determined they had a “reasonable fear” for their safety if they returned. The immigrants were seeking withholding hearings. The court argued that, since the immigrants were facing removal based on the reinstatement of a previous order, they were not allowed to argue again for their release.
As dissenting Justice Stephen Breyer mentioned, withholding proceedings often take more than a year, some up to two. This decision just delays the lives of these immigrants further, making them wait in fear. There is no justified reason to deny these people a new life, and subject them to persecution at home.
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